Rian never spared his own body.
This was not just Noah's thought; it was a sentiment shared by everyone who held him dear.
Only Noah knew the details of the cruel experiments Rian had endured in the black mage Mia's laboratory. The other children did not know the specifics, yet no one denied that Rian possessed a remarkably self-sacrificial nature.
To that end, Rian often treated his body with carelessness in daily life as well.
He had once stuck his finger into boiling water to test the temperature, and he often brushed off injuries sustained while cooking.
Even when injured while playing with the children, he would endure it in silence until discovered.
He was always smiling brightly, yet at times, it looked as if his insides were rotting and crumbling away. Even so, they had spent three years laughing because Rian was an oppa, a hyung, and a father to the children.
Because he was an oppa, a hyung, a father—family.
So, it would be fine.
To those who held such complacent thoughts, Rian returned with his stomach blown wide open. His face was deathly pale, his breath ragged, his body growing cold.
Like immature children shocked by the sight of their parents crying, the group was deeply shaken.
Only then did they realize that their "adult," their precious "family" whom they thought would never die, could actually perish.
As Rian's unconsciousness dragged on, their anxiety soared, and eventually...
*Clank.*
They could not stop Noah from shackling Rian's ankle.
***
"Sigh..."
I slumped on the bed and sighed.
'I ended up fighting with Noah...'
Honestly, I'm not sure if it's right to call this a fight. Rather than a fight... it's more accurate to say I was scolded.
'She seemed really angry... what do I do?'
I wasn't particularly angry at Noah. I just felt sorry for making the usually rational Noah that furious and worried. At the same time, I also felt... good.
'Still, being the object of her worry feels kind of ticklish.'
If Noah heard me say this, she might crack my skull open, but it couldn't be helped.
In a Gag World, it's hard to get someone to worry about you unless it's something serious. If I said I felt a bit excited because it seemed like she cherished me—...
'She might slice me up nicely with her sword, so I should definitely not say that.'
€p>
After clearing away these silly thoughts, I started racking my brain to find a way to reconcile with Noah.
***
In the dark room, lights extinguished, Noah was curled up with her knees pulled to her chest, her forehead resting on them. Having removed the magic tool that compressed her chest and the bandages, her breasts pressed against her thighs.
[ Why have you become a cave-dweller again? ]
€p> Juliana flew over to Noah and spoke to her. Noah, with a blanket pulled over her head, lifted her dull, sunken eyes to look at Juliana.
"...Master. Am I doing the right thing?"
[ Why? Is it because you couldn't protect Rian? ]
Noah shut her mouth at the words that struck the nail on the head.
[ That couldn't be helped. If you had left the main building and run to the annex, most of the guys in the main building would have been slaughtered. ]
"But... in the end, I couldn't protect him."
[ He's alive. You can just protect him from now on. ]
"This isn't the first time!"
Noah shouted, raising her voice without realizing it, then trembled, startled by her own outburst.
"...I'm sorry for shouting."
[ It's fine. It's better to speak your mind than to keep it bottled up inside. ]
Juliana sat next to Noah and gestured with her head.
[ Speak freely. Don't hide it every time you're having a hard time like *someone* we know. ]
The "someone" Juliana referred to was Rian. It was a warning not to act like Rian, who hid everything even when hurt or struggling, driving others crazy.
At those words, Noah had no choice but to open her mouth.
"...I have tried to become strong until now to protect everyone, to protect Rian."
[ Yes, you worked hard. And you did well, too. ]
"But... in the truly important moments, I could never help Rian. Every time he was in danger, I..."
[ I've told you several times, that couldn't be helped. ]
"But if I had defeated the monsters faster, I could have... I could have run to protect Rian."
Following that, the "what ifs" came flooding in like a tide.
What if I had noticed the enemy sooner?
What if I had made Rian stay in the main building?
What if I had hidden the main building better?
.
.
Even though she knew that such words only hurt her and were of no help, she couldn't stop.
Looking at Noah's face, stained with despair and tears, Juliana thought her behavior was akin to self-harm.
She was wounding herself over and over for failing to protect him, as if punishing herself.
[ Then there is only one solution. ]
"Pardon?"
At the unexpected mention of a "solution," Noah whipped her head around to look at Juliana.
[ You said it yourself. That if you had just defeated the monsters a little faster and gone to find Rian, it would have been fine. ]
Juliana rose from the bed and floated in the air, looking down at her.
[ Then the solution is simple. You just have to become stronger. ]
"Become... stronger?"
[ Yes. ]
"But..."
Noah bit her lip and hung her head. She had been blocked by a wall for two years, and her growth had stalled. To her, the words "You just have to become stronger!" were of no help.
Rather, they only plunged her deeper into despair.
[ Because you're blocked by a wall, right? ]
"...!"
[ There is a way to solve it. ]
"There's... a way?"
[ Yes. ]
Juliana continued, looking down at Noah with a serious expression.
[ But... you have to risk your life. ]
"It doesn't matter."
*Flap!*
Noah threw aside the blanket and said, her eyes flashing.
"If only I could become stronger."
If only I could protect Rian.
[ ...Good. ]
Juliana placed the book where her main body was bound in front of Noah.
*Rustle!*
[ If you overcome the trials I experienced, you will be able to become even stronger. Instead... you might die. ]
A bright light erupted from the book and began to fill the room.
[ No matter how much time passes inside, almost no time passes outside. So don't be impatient, and proceed step by step. ]
Noah smiled at Juliana's words, which were laced with concern, and said.
"Thank you, Master."
[ Just make sure you come back safely. ]
Swallowed by the bright cluster of light, Noah stumbled and collapsed onto the bed. Only her spirit had crossed over into the trial.
[ 'Noah, you must move forward without resting.' ]
The moment she stopped walking, bound by despair, Noah would create a wall with her own hands, become trapped, and wander forever until she collapsed.
Juliana had seen countless such geniuses in the past.
[ 'Break the shackles that are dragging you down and fly higher, then...' ]
Juliana suddenly muttered with a sinister laugh.
[ I'll teach you how to keep the man you're worried about and obsessed with tied tightly by your side. ]
Juliana hummed and said.
[ When would be a good time for the wedding? ]
***
At the very moment Noah was entering the trial.
*Clink.*
"What should I do about this?"
Rian fiddled with the shackle on his ankle. Although he was shackled, the room was empty; there was no need to guard him since they were monitoring him via a magic tool.
The biggest reason was that everyone was away to clean up the mess at the headquarters. Jess and Iris were taking care of the children at Rian's request.
He expected them to return in about three hours. Rian wanted to meet Noah and apologize before then. He wanted to leave immediately, but he was trapped by the shackle.
"I have to get this off to even go and apologize..."
Rian imagined cutting off his ankle with a "snap!" and reattaching it, but he couldn't bring himself to do it, picturing an ending where he ended up with two shackles due to the blood-soaked bed.
There were many other bizarre solutions, but he gave up on them, thinking it would cause a huge commotion if he put them into practice.
'What should I do? Should I wait for Noah to come?'
As he rolled on the bed, the clinking sound rang out noisily.
*Knock knock.*
Just then, someone visited Rian's room.
"Come in!"
He shouted with an excited heart.
*Creeeak...*
The door opened slowly, and someone wearing a deep-hooded robe entered.
*Thud.*
'...Who is it?'
For a moment, the stranger exuded such a suspicious aura that he wondered, 'Is it an enemy?'
"Ah..."
A slightly raspy but high-pitched female voice spoke.
"Rian-nim!"
"...?!"
They say that when you're too surprised, you lose your words. Rian was in exactly that state.
*Dash!*
The suspicious person dashed to Rian's bedside in an instant.
*Flap.* With that momentum, the robe's hood flipped back.
"Huh? Pia?"
"Ah, Rian-nim!"
p> Rian looked at Pia, who had knelt by the bedside with a flustered face. Pia didn't stop there; she bowed her upper body forward and prostrated herself in a posture called "dogeza."
"...?"
Pia had actually managed to confuse a Gag World resident!